Nigeria's Federal Executive Council has approved four new channel management companies to operate across the country's seaports, marking a shift in how vessel navigation and port operations will be handled. The decision was disclosed at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, where Capt. Ebubeogu Ihenacho, a former General Manager of Marine and Operations, outlined the changes affecting each of the four channels serving Nigeria's major port clusters.
Under the restructuring, a new company will take over management of the Lagos port channel, with the arrangement involving a change of name from the previous operator. The Calabar Channel will continue to be managed by the Calabar Channel Management Company. For the Bonny Channel, the channel management company has undergone a change of ownership, although the specific identities of the new owners were not disclosed. According to sources familiar with the Nigerian Ports Authority, a Belgian company is expected to assume channel management operations at Lagos ports.
The most significant change affects the Escravos Channel in the Warri area. The Federal Government approved China Harbour Engineering Company, alongside two other firms, to form a consortium. This consortium will create a Special Purpose Vehicle jointly with the Nigerian Ports Authority to manage operations on the Escravos Channel.
The moves follow the NPA's decision not to renew the concessions of the Lagos Channel Management Company Limited and the Bonny Channel Management Company. Instead of allowing those contracts to expire, the authority extended the existing arrangements for six months while these new structures were put in place. The approval represents an attempt to modernise port management and improve efficiency across Nigeria's major shipping channels.